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Biman Bangladesh Airlines is reportedly preparing to announce an order for ten Airbus twinjets, with both the narrowbody A321neo and the widebody A350 in its sights. Historically, Airbus planes have played a minimal role at the Bangladeshi flag carrier, and, today, its fleet is dominated by Boeing jets, as underlined by a recent order. As such, this move would represent an interesting change of direction.
The A350 side of the Airbus order is particularly notable, given that Biman Bangladesh Airlines committed to buying the type several years ago during a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, but had yet to follow through and place a firm order. Now, this is all set to change, as the Bangladeshi flag carrier looks towards a future where its fleet is not Boeing-dominated but shows more of a balance.
Two Days To Go
The Daily Observer reported over the weekend that Wednesday, October 7, 2026, would be the date on which Biman Bangladesh Airlines announces its Airbus order to the world. This order, the publication says, is set to consist of four widebody A350-900s and six narrowbody A321neos, with the former promoting long-haul growth while the latter is used to expand its short to medium-haul presence.
Fleet growth is a long-term initiative at most carriers, and Biman Bangladesh Airlines is no different, with the first deliveries from this order not expected to take place until 2033, some seven years from now. They are set to continue through to either 2036 or 2037. After Macron’s state visit in 2023, the carrier’s board approved up to ten A350 orders. According to Aviacionline, Bangladeshi Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, M Rashiduzzaman Millat, recently said of the revised order timeline that:
“Yes, we are going to buy 10 Airbus aircraft. God willing, the agreement will be signed in October.”
Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ Recent Boeing Order
An order for ten next-generation twinjets from Airbus is always big news, but, for Biman Bangladesh Airlines, it marks a particularly interesting change of direction, given its general preference for Boeing aircraft. According to ch-aviation, 14 of its 20 current planes are from Boeing: four 737-800s, four 777-300ERs, four 787-8s, and two 787-9s. The only exceptions are one ATR 72 and five Dash 8s.
Furthermore, in the coming years, its fleet of Boeing jets is only set to grow further, with the carrier having ordered some 25 aircraft from the US planemaker in this year alone. The first batch was bought in April, when it committed to buying 14 jets from the firm: eight 787-10s, four 737 MAX 8s, and two 787-9s. Then, last month, Boeing announced that Biman Bangladesh had committed to another 11 orders.
The latest deal consisted of another five examples of the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner and six units of the narrowbody 737 MAX 8 twinjet. Boeing and Biman sealed the deal with a signing ceremony at the UN General Assembly. The planemaker said that “the 787‑10 adds higher capacity to complement Biman’s 787‑9s and 787‑8s” while also being 20-25% more fuel-efficient than previous-generation jets.
The Airline Has Historically Flown Very Few Airbus Jets
While Biman Bangladesh Airlines does not currently have any Airbus jets at its disposal, and the planes from its forthcoming order for the A321neo and the A350 are not set to arrive until 2033, this does not mean that it has never flown any aircraft from the European firm. As seen above, the Airbus A310-300 used to be part of its fleet, with ch-aviation noting that it flew six units between 1996 and 2016.
Elsewhere, Planespotters.net highlights the fact that Biman Bangladesh Airlines also briefly flew a pair of Airbus A330-200s from Wamos Air on a leased basis. The first of these bore the registration EC-MJS, and it served the Bangladeshi flag carrier from June 2017 to January 2018 with 20 business class and 307 economy class seats. Thereafter, it leased EC-MNY from January 2018 to February 2018.
